Brendan McKeen believes that everyone, no matter where you live or what you can afford, deserves access to the arts. During the day, you can find him at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre serving as the Individual Giving Manager. Early in the morning and late at night, Brendan is the Executive Director of manitoba UNDERGROUND opera, an indie opera company he founded in 2008. He has two music degrees including a Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University. Brendan is deeply thankful for all his mentors who have helped him throughout, he wouldn't be here without you.

Lucie Lederhendler (she/her/hers) is the curator of the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba in Brandon. Previously, she was a director of the curatorial collective Studio Béluga and the Educational Programs Manager at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts in Montreal. She holds a Masters of Art Education from Concordia University.

Rose-Anne Harder is a distinguished alumna of the University of Winnipeg’s Manitoba Arts and Cultural Management Certificate Program and the University of Manitoba’s Theatre program. Holding certification as an Event Coordinator, she brings a wealth of expertise to her roles. As the dedicated Executive Director of the Manitoba Arts Network for the last decade, Rose-Anne’s primary goal has been to enhance arts accessibility in the rural and northern regions of Manitoba.

With a strong commitment to the arts community, Rose-Anne has also held the position of Chair at Creative Manitoba and served as a board director at Artspace. Her career path leading to MAN included a decade of valuable experience within two sector councils: the Manitoba Tourism Education Council and Film Training Manitoba. Prior to these roles, Rose-Anne demonstrated her versatile talents as a director, stage manager, production manager, and scenic artist.

Jenel Shaw is a self-taught visual artist who graduated with her masters in Disability Studies from the University of Manitoba. Her dissertation, An Autoethnological Study of Art as a Tool of Empowerment, examined her own experiences with mental illness and disability art. Jenel is a passionate advocate for the disability community, with a focus on accessibility in the arts. Jenel is the executive director of Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba, the Co-Chair of the Manitoba Artist-Run Centres Coalition and sits on various arts boards.

Mary Agnes Welch is a partner at Probe Research Inc. where she helps associations, non-profit and government clients understand what the public thinks about big policy issues, and why. She is the chair of the Exchange District BIZ and past chair of Westminster Housing Society.

Chris Turyk (He/Him) has worked and volunteered across Winnipeg’s creative sector since 2005 in film and television, dance, music, and theatre. He’s served as a board member for Pride Winnipeg, Outwords LGBT Magazine, Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, and most recently held the position of Board Chair for Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers until late 2023.

As Company Managing Director for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) he oversees the company’s performance and touring strategy. During his time at the RWB, Chris has led national and international tour initiatives for the Company including in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Chris holds a Project Management Diploma and an Arts and Cultural Management Certificate from the University of Winnipeg, where he also began teaching Strategic Management in July 2024 through their department of Professional, Applied, and Continuing Education.

Louise Waldman is a storyteller, writer and PR professional who has worked for some of Canada and Manitoba's most iconic brands, including the CBC, United Way and the Canadian Wheat Board.

Jason Hooper has worked at the West End Cultural Centre since 2009 when he began as a house manager the first week of the Centre’s reopening after a 4-million-dollar renovation.
Since then, he has been Community Coordinator, Artistic Director, acting General Manager and is the first Executive Director of the centre.

In addition to his many roles at the West End, he has an honours degree in playwrighting from the University of Winnipeg. His work has been produced as part of the Winnipeg Fringe Festival and Winnipeg’s Master Playwright festival where his adaptation of August Strindberg’s short story The Big Gravel Sifter received five stars from the Winnipeg Free Press. He has performed in short films for Astron-6, Noam Gonick, and Guy Maddin as well as a puppeteer for The Watch and Spectacle Company.
Jason has years of experience on arts juries.

He has been a juror for such esteemed boards and organizations as Factor, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Manitoba Arts Council, Manitoba Film and Music and the Winnipeg Arts Council.  

Jocelyn Shymko has been involved in the dance community for two decades. From training, to teaching, and now travelling with a Winnipeg born dance competition, she remains a supporter of local performing arts.

Jocelyn graduated from the University of Manitoba and is employed as a lawyer at Taylor McCaffrey LLP. As a lawyer, she has developed her support for the arts community in a new way. She has enjoyed expanding her community to include different forms of art and artists, and looks forward to growing her knowledge and impact within the community. 

Edouard Lamontagne has been Executive Director of the Federation culturelle de la Francophonie manitobaine since April 2024, an organization dedicated to advancing arts and culture in rural Francophone communities across Manitoba. Prior to this role, he served as Cultural and artistic development agent for 6 years, leading artistic initiatives that strengthened access to cultural experiences beyond urban centres.

Edouard previously chaired the Board of the 100NONS for three years and brings more than three decades of experience in the arts and culture sector as a singer-songwriter working in both French and English. Deeply committed to equity and access, Edouard is passionate about creating meaningful opportunities for rural communities to experience arts and culture - an objective that remains central to his professional and artistic work.

Katie Inverarity (she/her) is a senior arts and cultural leader with nearly 30 years of progressive experience and more than 20 years in executive and senior management roles across theatres, symphonies, tourism attractions, and arts consulting. She is currently Managing Director of Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg and previously served as Director of Marketing & Communications at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, where she also held an appointment as Interim Executive Director during a 2024 leadership transition.

Katie’s expertise spans earned revenue strategy, patron experience, accessibility, education, and organizational change. She has overseen multi-million-dollar revenue portfolios, led large multidisciplinary teams, and played key roles in strategic planning and crisis response. Her career includes positions with Canadian Stage, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Casa Loma, Mirvish Productions, and TRG (The Resource Group for the Arts).

An active sector contributor, Katie has served on multiple boards and is a frequent conference presenter. She holds advanced leadership training from the Banff Centre, Leadership Winnipeg, and Red River College Polytechnic.